A free public concert entitled “Smokin’ Hot Harmony” will top off the 2nd Annual Acappellooza Festival at Assumption High School Auditorium at 4pm, on Saturday, May 19. Male and female high school singers from Assumption, Bettendorf, Rivermont Collegiate, United Township, Kimberly Center and Sherrard will demonstrate their mastery of 4-part, a capella harmony, in the barbershop style.

Event sponsors include Quad City Arts, ALCOA, Assumption High School, The Chordbusters and the Barbershop Harmony Society. Other ensembles featured on the program are: "A Touch of Fun" quartet, from the Quad Cities and "Indigo" quartet, from the Iowa City & Cedar Rapids region. For more information, call: (563) 340-8743.

Davenport, IA – The Miss Iowa Scholarship Program will host its statewide pageant June 7th-9th, 2012 here at the historic Adler Theatre.

Tickets are available now via the Adler Box Office, 136 E. Third St., Davenport, TicketMaster outlets and www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available by mail order until May 25th. A ticket form is available to download and print at the organization’s web site (www.missiowa.com) under the 2012 Pageant tab.

In June 2011, Jessica Pray of Johnston, was named the 63rd statewide titleholder. She then reached the Top 10 of Miss America ® 2012 this past January at Planet Hollywood Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, NV. At the completion of her year of service, Pray will have earned over $14,000 in scholarship dollars.

The Miss Iowa Scholarship Program is dedicated to community service and enriching the lives of women at several levels of participation from youth to adult. The Miss Iowa program is an official preliminary to Miss America ®.

The Miss Iowa program began with city representatives traveling to Atlantic City, NJ, such as Alta Sterling, Miss Sioux City 1924. In March 1996, the Miss Iowa program was recognized, by resolution of the Iowa Senate, as the “Official Hostess for the State of Iowa.” Follow the program online at www.missiowa.com or on Facebook (Search: Miss Iowa Scholarship Program).

May 15, 2012, Orion IL– My Wedding DJ a new reality based television show being filmed at Hillcrest Events Center is holding open auditions. The premise of our show is a wedding DJ competition highlighting all the different aspects of entertaining guests at weddings and other events. These skills will range from music knowledge, to complying with requests, to focusing on the audience and keeping them entertained while keeping the bride and groom happy. Eight DJs will be selected per show to compete in five elimination rounds ranging from loading and unloading equipment, correcting sound and technical issues, and knowledge of various genres of music. The final 3 DJs will be judged by a bride and the winner will be DJ’ing the wedding.

The show will be filmed over the course of five days and it will be a difficult process, but the experience and exposure is priceless. The competition is open to any DJ who believes they have the skill to entertain guests and make the big day special for the bride and groom. Equipment will be provided, but professionalism, knowledge of a variety of music, and patience with guests is an absolute must. If you're confident in yourself and your abilities, come out and see how far you can get into the competition.

If you think you have what it takes to be the best and defeat other DJs for the job, then come out to showcase your skills. If you have the skills, the confidence, and the will to win then come out to Orion May 22nd and 24th for open interviews. Interviews will be held from 10am to 2pm, then again from 4pm to 8pm each day. The Hillcrest Event Center is located at 16260 E 350 th St, Orion, IL.

Hillcrest Event Center is a family recreational event center. Hillcrest has tent and RV camping throughout the season, as well as an Olympic size swimming pool, Champion Executive Golf Course for all skill levels and a sports club and grill. Hillcrest is located just 10 miles from the Quad Cities Airport at 16260 E. 350th St. Orion, IL 61273. For more information visit us at www.HillcrestEventsCenter.com or call (309)755-6550.

Hillcrest Event Center is also the home of reality TV show American Resort and My Wedding DJ.

Marc Mellits will be appearing at Rhythm Unleashed, a collection of his works performed by the musicians of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, in the RME's Redstone Room on May 19 at 8:00 p.m. Mellits' unique blending of classical instrumentation with high-energy, rock rhythms is as sensual as it is intelligent.

Heading this project is Principal Percussionist Aaron Williams with help from Principal Cellist Hannah Holman, Pianist Mary Neil, and fellow percussionist Tony Oliver. The team will perform a variety of Mellits' repertoire, including 5 Quiet Machines, Disciples of Gouda, Mara's Lullaby, and Paranoid Cheese.

Tickets for Rhythm Unleashed are $18 for adults and $7 for students. Buy them now online by clicking here.

As a blue-collar kid in the New Jersey suburbs, Michael Uslan swore an oath: to restore his beloved superhero’s true identity as a darkly serious creature of the night, stalking criminals from the shadows.

As executive producer of five provocative Batman feature films – including the highly anticipated “The Dark Knight Rises,” being released this summer – Uslan has originated an action-filled psychological movie franchise unlike any other.

For that vision, today (May 9) he will receive CINE’s 2012 Trailblazer Award.

“Through his determination to bring his unique understanding of a comic book character to the big screen, he essentially created a new film genre,” says CINE Board President Rita Mullin.

“Michael Uslan has been a genuine trailblazer.”

Sen. Patrick Leahy – like Uslan, an avid comic book fan – will present the award during CINE’s Annual Awards Gala at La Maison Francaise in the French embassy in Washington, D.C.

Uslan says he’s proud to be recognized.

"In an industry that is often creatively divided between those who are forward looking, innovative and daring and those who spend their days looking over their shoulders and fearing to take an unproven course, I am so honored and thrilled by CINE's presenting me with its 2012 Trailblazer Award,” he says.

Since boyhood, he has been determined to make the world see his idol through his eyes. He recounts the journey in his memoir, The Boy Who Loved Batman (www.theboywholovedbatman.com).

A passionate fan of comic books from a tender age, young Uslan consumed them all – from Archie to Superman.

“My mother may have given birth to me, but my comic books formed me and made me who I am,” he says.

By far, his favorite hero – the man who taught him powerful life lessons – was and still is Batman.

“Batman made himself the strongest, the smartest, the best detective. He was the only superhero who didn’t have superpowers, so I could aspire to be just like him,” Uslan says. “To be Superman, you had to come from Krypton, but Batman’s greatest superpower was his humanity.”

It was the premiere of the “POW!” “BAM!” 1966 “Batman” TV series that inspired Uslan’s youthful vow to rescue the Dark Knight from campy pop cultural mediocrity.

“I was horrified when I realized the world was laughing at Batman,” he says. “I swore an oath that I would make it my life’s mission to restore his true identity, the one his creators gave him back in 1939. With the help of many, many talented people, I believe I’ve done that.”

Other CINE 2012 award winners include Eileen O’Neill, group president for Discovery Channel and TLC, who will receive the Leadership Award, and composer Marvin Hamlisch, recipient of the first Legends Award.

Past Trailblazer Award winners include Ted Turner, founder of the first 24-hour cable news network, CNN; and comedians The Smothers Brothers, who challenged TV’s political boundaries.

CINE is a non-profit organization that serves emerging and established film, video and new media professionals.

About Michael Uslan

Michael Uslan, (www.theuslancompany.com), is the executive producer, along with his partner Benjamin Melniker, of the Batman franchise of motion pictures. In his 36 years in the film and television industry, he has been involved with such projects as “National Treasure,” “Constantine,” and countless animated projects. His projects have won Oscars, Golden Globes and Emmy Awards. He recently formed a motion picture development and production consulting company called The Uslan Company, LLC.